porterdavis is a three-man roots rock band from Austin, Texas. They were founded upon a love of American roots and blues music and explorations of African musical traditions, and originally busked in the subways of Boston where Mike and Dan, graduates of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, lived and studied. Their new self-titled album will be released in early September.
Little Walter / Boogie Little Walter was an outstanding singer, but as a harmonica player he was untouchable. Although this is an instrumental, it still makes it onto my Playlist. He’s just that good. The raw energy flowing through those reeds keeps me on the edge of my seat during this fast paced, pounding track. The band complement his every phrase and seemingly endless ideas right to the last stop. As tight as it gets!
The music of Calexico has a subtle warmth to it. It’s intimate and loose, and it conjures up a thousand sandswept memories. Or something like that. They’ve always displayed their influences boldly on their well-worn jean patches, which is what makes frontman Joey Burns’ Secret Playlist such a diverse yet strangely familiar collection of songs.
The Acorn / Crooked Legs Hailing from our northern border, The Acorn have the talent of building melodies that are simple enough to dive into and stay deep in your consciousness long after the music dies. They are from Ottawa, the land of long summer days, and we met at Winnipeg for a rainy day festival. Caked in mud and shielded by thin tarps from the storm, we found this unexpected group’s catchy grooves and songs warming and nurturing. It’s good medicine for campgrounds.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
